Sunday, September 25, 2011

I noticed people talking about procrastination on the blog. I thought this was funny. But mostly, I was happy to learn that I was not the only bad student who has been procrastinating.

The biggest thing that stuck out to me is that we are tutors for the global issues, not the local ones. At times, a tutee may have many grammatical errors such as punctuation, comma splices, etc., and these can make it hard to see the global issues, but it is important not to take over a session and only help with the local things. Things that are global are thesis, paragraphs, and organization.

Another thing I noticed was advice on how to not take over a session and tips on how to fix it, if one does take it over. How not to do it is to not give the tutee the answers. Ask him or her questions that will direct them to the answer. Do not do the paper for them. If one does take over a session, he or she should have a step back and assess whether it is that the tutee is not engaged or if the tutor is being lazy or tired. If the tutee is not engaged, try to mimic his or her body language or ask him or her to reschedule. If the tutor is tired, it is okay. But it is important to get back to doing one's job.

Another thing I noticed was to not try to bluff the answer. It is wise to seek the help of Claire, reference books, the internet, etc. This displays how to find the answer to the tutee. This is a great opportunity to teach by example so that the tutee may become self-sufficient.